Buying Guides

2006 - 2011 Honda Civic Review

The space age styling of the Honda Civic means it will always stand out from the crowd. The cabin is equally eye-catching, and incredibly practical thanks to the tumbling rear seats and 485-litre boot – the latter by far the biggest in its class. Add in some sharp handling and proved reliability and you’ve got a winner.

Review

INTRODUCTION:

While the Toyota Corolla is the best-selling Japanese car ever, the Honda Civic isn’t far behind – selling over 20 million worldwide by 2011. Despite sharing its name with a car dating back to 1973, the eighth generation was more cutting edge than retro – in fact the space age looks have been a double edged sword for the family car, both attracting and discouraging buyers in equal measure.

MODEL RANGE:

When it arrived in 2006 the Honda Civic shocked the establishment, its wedge-like profile, split-level glass tailgate and crazy dashboard were like nothing else before. But behind the bonkers looks was a practical and well thought-out family hatchback, available with three, four or five doors and with a great choice of powerplants.

The excellent 2.2-litre i-CDTI diesel engine is the pick of the range, being particularly refined and with punchy performance. Petrol-heads could do a lot worse than choose a Civic with the 2.0-litre VTEC unit found in the Type-R though – the naturally aspirated block produced 200hp at nearly 8,000rpm. Along with the sparkling chassis (which was actually slightly softer than that used on the previous model) it became a firm favourite with hot-hatch fans.

Those looking to save the planet should opt for the Hybrid model, which uses a 1.4-litre petrol engine and electric motor for propulsion, the result being combined consumption of 4.6litres/100km, though the CVT gearbox may put potential buyers off.

In 2009 the Civic was facelifted with changes to the design, trim and equipment levels, as well as the introduction of a new 1.4-litre petrol engine. The introduction of an all-new model in early 2012 means used values are sure to take a tumble.

BEST BUY:

Honda is known for its petrol engines, especially the high-revving VTEC units, but with the Civic it’s the 2.2 i-DTEC diesel that is the pick of the range – it might not be the most efficient, but it’s incredibly smooth and refined. All models are well-equipped, but SE was the biggest seller. ES, SE-S (on the four-door) and LX topped the line-up and since the five-door looks equally as stylish as the three-door it would seem foolish not to choose the more practical model.

The space age styling of the Honda Civic means it will always stand out from the crowd. The cabin is equally eye-catching, and incredibly practical thanks to the tumbling rear seats and 485-litre boot – the latter by far the biggest in its class. Add in some sharp handling and proved reliability and you’ve got a winner.